By Emmanuel C Agubuo

The stock market is a device for transferring wealth from the impatient (pessimistic and fearful investor) to the patient (intelligent and daring investor), Warren Buffett.

Success in stock market investment is dependent on the understanding of its intricacies and managing them to your advantage, Emmanuel C Agubuo.

Purpose of Stock Market

The need for companies to raise money and investors to profit from it is the essence of the stock market and that is what keeps it going.

There are three major ways to profit from the capital market.

1 By capital appreciation.

2 Dividend yields.

3 Bonus issue.

The first two are regular, but the third isn’t and it occurs when the company decides to do it.

Now, if you’re a capitalist-minded investor, you can decide to take profits as many times as possible and as you choose, especially if the stock appreciates more than you bought it. What this means in essence is that the capitalist investor decides what he wants and earns.

But a core dividend income investor has no such option(s). His only option is when the company declares dividends or bonus, either once or twice in a year and in rare cases, more.

So, his earnings or profits depend entirely on what the company chooses to give him at a particular time and not on what he decides to earn.

In order to make sure these set of passive investors keep their money with them, companies declare dividends and sometimes, bonus issues so as to make shareholders happy.

But one key question to ask is ‘is dividend income the real deal in stock market investments?’ Well, the answer varies from one investor to the other because each of their investment objective isn’t the same.

However, it is advisable that you do all you can to maximize more profits from the capital market. I believe that’s what brought you into it in the first place. Or is there anything else? You just came to watch others make the big money?

Or are you just satisfied with the peanuts from dividends? Ok, that’s your choice. Everyone is entitled to his or her choice. There’s no problem about that.

Now hear this, dividend payments in stock market investment is a bait. Don’t be caught and don’t be distracted by it. Because if you focus on it as your core means of building wealth through the capital market, it will deter you from maximizing opportunities of share appreciation, which can fetch you over 100 percent yield.

See, dividend payment is a device conceived by stock market inventors (companies) to access and consolidate huge capital almost free of charge or with lesser interest rates or payment, unlike if they had gone to the bank to borrow such huge amount of money.

The companies pay the dividends simply for consolation as to enable them keep the huge funds perpetually. This is one of the reasons you shouldn’t make dividend income your CORE mission in stock market investment. Simply take it whenever it comes, but don’t make it your CORE; that’s what I do.

However, it depends on your age, shrewdness and level of risk taking. But you have to be very smart.

Nevertheless, investing for dividend income yields is a strategy of its own; based on one’s major objective in the stock market. Investing for capital appreciation or gain is a strategy of its own too and everything boils down to individual perception, understanding, shrewdness and preference.

Though, the two can be combined. But for me, the fastest way to build wealth through the stock market is by capital appreciation in the medium to long term horizon. This doesn’t mean you should sell all your holdings at once. You can sell some or in tranches, but leave your core holdings and watch until the price rises to its top most peaks if needs be.

In other words, building wealth through capital appreciation in the stock market is not a sprint. It is a marathon. It is like a relay race. You need to be savvy, patient and persistent.

Theretofore, to profit more from the stock market investment, do all you can to learn the art of investing in it than the act. The profit is made in the arts and not the act.

A word is enough for the wise. See you at the top. Cheers.

Emmanuel C Agubuo is an entrepreneur, an investor in stocks, real estate and a stock market information strategist. He also helps to strategize on better ways to invest in the stock market profitably.